


What if -Junbob

by jax_m



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Café, Coffee Shop, College Life, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff, Love, M/M, kpop, kpopgroup
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-04-03 17:45:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14001279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jax_m/pseuds/jax_m
Summary: What if we had never met? Would it have been relieving, or make me wonder why I was never able to find love?





	1. Alcohol: The Best Terrible Substance

Apparently, I was the weird one in the group.

Sure, I'd agree to some extent. I don't exactly find much offense to the label. Truthfully, I was shy when it came to social interactions with people I'm not familiar with. I hate being put on the spot. I had eye-attracting "mouse teeth." I was an oddball that screamed in awkward situations.

I was a walking awkward situation.

And I knew that I was.

And yet, even with those as facts, I was the loudest one too. I yelled when I was happy, ecstatic, frustrated, or whenever I was singing. I'd jump on my friends' backs during random moments, even that one time where Chanwoo was talking with his crush. I got absolutely crazy when my favorite song comes on the radio. Insane.

So yeah, I could be considered the weird one in the group. There's plenty of evidence to back it up.

One of the weirdest things about me, though, was my high alcohol tolerance. I wasn't an alcoholic, but rather drank a lot whenever the occasion was appropriate because I knew I would feel fine the next morning.

So it was 12:00am on a Friday night, and needless to say, most of us were pretty wasted. One could say the sight of 12 guys in one dorm doing karaoke and dance battles with bottles of beer would be a strange sight for college students, but we were just having fun. As previously stated, I was singing karaoke like there was no tomorrow.

But Hanbin was definitely having the most fun. Couldn't blame the guy, it was his birthday we were celebrating after all. He stumbled around as he sang off-key to Big Bang, laughing mostly at himself.

It was around 1:00am when I finally made up my mind to leave. Although my brain was pretty mushed, I could comprehend enough to know that crashing in that unsanitary, alcohol-smelling dorm wouldn't be such a great idea. That, and I believed it was important to go back to my dorm to tell my pet turtle a bedtime story and say goodnight to him.

Again, pretty freakin' wasted.

"Hey! Hanbin!" I yelled over the speakers. He looked at me with the widest smile I'd ever seen him with, and sparkly eyes that reflected the TV screen and how completely drunk he was.

"Oh, hey, Bobby!"

"I'm leaving now!"

"Oh!" he shouted back. "Okay!"

I made a mental note to check up on these fools tomorrow morning, knowing that some of them would still be here. If Hanbin couldn't keep a conversation, then that itself was enough to tell me I should take precaution.

...

I did as planned, and regretted it.

I woke up extra early the next morning, about 7:00am, tired but not as much as I expected. I made sure to get an immediate dose of caffeine once I got up. I had classes at 11:00am, which gave me plenty of time to walk up a floor and see if the disaster I was imagining came true. With my hair sleeked back and my black hoodie keeping me warm, I stepped out with relaxed shoulders to start my day.

I lost all relaxation upon stepping into dorm 67. All of it.

The place was an absolute wreck. Worse than my life.

I'd never seen the dorm so messed up. It was like a tornado was feeling a little extra bitchy in this one area. It made my room feel insignificant, and that's saying something.

Yunhyeong, who shockingly was taking in more alcohol last night than I ever imagined him to, sat sprawled on the armchair, mouth hung open. I wondered how many spiders crawled into his mouth already. Chanwoo practically was cuddling himself on the floor next to the couch, where Donghyuk laid chest-down and snoring. Both looked extremely uncomfortable, but I guess when your drunk, that's not really a concept.

Hanbin was the only normal looking one. He sat in the kitchen, away from everyone else, resting his head on top of his arms. He was smart, but not smart enough to just go into his room and sleep in his own bed. At the table sat an unfinished bottle of beer right beside his head.

Since Hanbin would most likely be the sanest out of all of them (hopefully), I approached him first. I touched his shoulder and shook his body a bit.

"Hanbin," I said firmly. 

No reaction.

So I shook him like a maraca. Violently.

"HANBIN!"

His head lifted off of his arm in a second flat. Maybe I was a little extra.

"What the hell?" he mumbled. He blinked, as if adjusting to the light.

"Oh good, you're alive."

Hanbin rubbed his face as he came into consciousness. 

"What happened? What time is-"

Before he could finish, he winced suddenly. His fingered massaged his temple, and he continued to groan in pain.

"You're hungover, aren't you?" I asked bluntly.

"Did you say what I thought you just said?"

"I don't know, did I?"

Hanbin let out a noise that was an odd mixture of a grunt and a whine. Or an unknown mammal's mating call and a tribal language. And they wanted to call me the weird one.

"I'm so stupid," he said. I decided not to verbally agree.

"Don't you have work today? In like, thirty minutes?" I said.

He looked at me. "What time is it?"

"7:30-ish."

He once again made the noise. It sounded more aggressive this time. It kind of scared me.

"I'm screwed. I can't go to work like this."

There was a moment of silence between us, before he looked at me. I looked back at him, into his eyes that were pleading for something. He pursed his lips. It only took seconds for me to understand.

"Sure," I sighed.

He flinched back. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, why not. I can cover for, like, two hours."

He stood up with a grateful, and tired, smile.

"Thank you-"

He sat back down, shutting his eyes tight. 

"That hurt, wow."

"Just get some rest, and don't kill yourself."

"Yes, mom."


	2. A Fresh Day and a Fresh Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I smiled at him, to hopefully apply some social skills Jinhwan had taught me, but all I got back were pursed lips curled upward."

I honestly hated being such a nice person.

I didn't know what came over me, but next thing I knew, I agreed to buy shampoo and deodorant for Donghyuk, pick up a package for Chanwoo, and cover for Hanbin's shift. Yunhyeong was the only one decent enough to spare me a chore. Mostly because he wasn't even completely awake while I was visiting them.

I walked into my first class, lyricism, and grabbed my usual seat. I puffed out my cheeks as I fetched my notebook from my backpack.

"Someone's grumpy today," a voice commented on my right.

I turned to see Jinhwan, a friend of mine for about a year now, taking his seat right beside me. He had his typical loose-shirt-skinny-jeans-constant-sexy-expression attire on. It went with his feminine attitude and desire to know everything about my nonexistent love life.

"Ah, no, it's not that. Just tired from yesterday's party. That, and I'm going to be hella busy today," I explained, but his smile made me believe he had other ideas.

"Let me guess, you didn't get laid?"

See what I mean?

"Jinhwan, I swear to god," I said, laughing.

He chuckled. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Sort of."

Jinhwan and I felt like brothers. I talked to him about most issues I had, like my never-ending stress and will to move to Hawaii. I spilled my hopes and dreams to him about how I wanted to eat the biggest taco in the world, as he did about his aspiration to do a handstand on the top of the Eiffel Tower to me. Must I mention, he had to learn how to do a handstand first.

Despite his odd remarks about love and constantly holding a "sexy distant look" (quoted by him himself), I never remembered him actually dating anyone. Usually, he brushed off my curiousness in his relationship status, since it just completely baffled me. How could someone as perfect as him, with a perfect small face and perfect soft hair and perfect white teeth, not be dating anyone? It didn't make sense to me. I nearly felt jealous the first few days of knowing him, as if wondering why he was mocking me with his beauty.

It was truly a mystery, in my opinion. I was a walking awkward situation, he was a walking graceful enigma.

After my two classes for my Friday morning, I headed straight to Young Gimmicks Cafe. It was located right outside the border of our University's campus, sitting petitely and prettily on the first floor of an office building.

I'd already covered for Hanbin once last year. Not because of his stupidity like this time around, but because he was balancing six classes, this job, and babysitting his little sister on the weekends. I pitied the guy, really.

I strolled into the shop, twisting around the lollipop in my mouth, when I spot just who I was looking for. Mrs. Chae, the owner of the business, was wiping down the counter. She whistled a bouncy tune as she did so. For her thirties, she never hesitated to act young. Guess it goes with the name.

"Hi, Mrs. Chae," I greeted with a smile.

She looked up from her work, and returned the smile. 

"Hello, Bobby. Been a while, hasn't it?" she replied, tucking her rag into her apron. I approached the counter.

"Ah, yeah," I said. "Did Hanbin call in?"

She blinked, trying to recall. "Not that I know of. Why?"

"I'll be covering for him. He's," I paused to use wording that wouldn't give the entire story away, "not feeling well."

She nodded knowingly with a concerned look. "Ah, that's terrible. I hope he gets better."

"Me too, Mrs. Chae, me too," I said.

"Well, since you'll be covering for him," she continued, "I suppose you should get some training. Just a little refresher, you know?"

"Sure," I agreed. 

An extra run-through wouldn't hurt, especially since I didn't want to mess up on behalf of Hanbin. Not to mention I was always nice to Mrs. Chae, and I wouldn't want to disappoint her. She was too pure for a clutz like me.

Following her to the back of the house, it felt like the first day all over again. I was getting excited.

The back had boxes on shelves around the perimeter of the room. All of them were neatly labeled accordingly, which wasn't new for Mrs. Chae. Her shop was never dirty in the slightest. Everything looked a little newer and upgraded, including the black plastic and shiny boxes themselves.

"I actually have to head out to run an errand, unfortunately, but Junhoe here can train you today."

I suddenly looked at her, attempting to mask my dejected and surprised expression.

Upon hearing the name, a boy, who looked like a couple years younger than me, peeked his head from behind a shelf. I didn't even notice he was standing there the entire time. His black hair covered the top part of his eyes, and I would've mistaken him for some angsty college freshmen if it weren't for his stylish casual clothing and sharp jawline that said otherwise.

"Junhoe, this is Bobby," she introduced with a big smile.

I stepped forward with miraculous courage to shake his hand, as if in a daze to even think about my actions. He seemed reluctant to do the gesture. Guess I wasn't the only awkward one in the room.

I smiled at him, to hopefully apply some social skills Jinhwan had taught me, but all I got back were pursed lips curled upward.

"Treat him well, Junhoe," Mrs. Chae advised. "I must go now. Take care, you two."

We both said a quiet goodbye as she hung her apron on the rack, and left through the back door.

And then it was just the two of us. I'd say there were approximately two whole seconds of silence between us.

"So," he finally said, "you're a new employee?"

I thanked the Lord he decided to talk first.

"Yeah- I mean, no, not regularly. Just filling in for Hanbin today," I explained, rubbing my hands together.

I seemed to be more nervous in his presence. His stare was so nonchalant that it became intimidating.

"Ah, Hanbin. The one who raps while he works and does adlibs in his own jam session, right?"

I laughed. "Yeah, that's him."

Junhoe cracked a small smile that disappeared as fast as it came, as if that was the first joke he'd made in weeks. That, or he had performed that small skit so many times it became unfunny. I didn't know which one was worse.

Junhoe put the box and marker that he was holding down on the empty spot on the shelf. It occurred to me he had been writing on the boxes. It then occurred to me he had been most likely writing on all the boxes.

"Alright, well I guess if Mrs. Chae trusts you enough to cover for Hanbin, I assume you only need the basics," Junhoe said.

It was really difficult to tell if what he said was supposed to be in a rude tone, but I just went with it.

"Right," I replied.

"Meet you up front, aprons are in the back."


	3. I'm Asked a Long Term Favor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I had a brief second of debate before making up my mind to exit through the front of the house. I walked through the door frame and saw Junhoe making a drink."

It was awkward.

I honestly didn't think anything could get more awkward than me. But it did.

He showed me how to work the new espresso machine, how much time I should put in the microwave oven for what foods, where the syrups were - some of it was stuff I already knew, but I didn't say anything. It'd only make things more awkward, and I think I already had enough dosage of that for one day.

He seemed tired of talking, almost. Like he really wanted to help, but desperately needed a drink of water. Away from me. At least five miles.

So there we were, ten minutes later, just standing. I worked the register most of the time while he made the drinks, flashing my big eye-smile whenever I spoke to customers, then sighed in boredom when there was nothing to do but clean. I didn't remember the job being so mundane. It was probably because of who I was working with. No, it was definitely because of who I was working with.

Junhoe didn't talk to me. The only moments he opened his mouth were to yell the order out loud with his smooth low voice or whistle a short tune while he blended mixtures.

I recalled last time I worked there, and it was the most fun I had that whole day. I was working with Mrs. Chae herself, tossing her syrup bottles, joking around with her during slow hour, just talking about life. I was even invited to the employee Christmas party, with a total of eight people there. Mrs. Chae always hosted it at her house. Hanbin and I always came first with snacks and beer. Lisa and Jennie usually came next with wine, the classy stuff. Chanhyuk and Soohyun always came together, Soohyun with a cute tray of snacks and Chanhyuk with his guitar. Minho would come last, after his 7:00pm class. Sure, there weren't that many of us, yet it still felt complete.

Once the time hit 4:30pm, I clocked out in a flash. I hung my apron in the back and recited how I would say goodbye to Junhoe in my head as I picked up my jacket, but Mrs. Chae caught me before I could leave.

She came in through the back door with grocery bags in both hands, and I hastily went over to assist her.

"Oh, thank you Bobby!" she said as I took the bags out of her left hand, and followed her to the respective shelf.

"Actually, I'm glad I could arrive before you left," she said, putting down the items.

"Oh?"

"Yes, I wanted to ask you something. I huge favor, that is," she said, and I had a feeling I knew where this was heading. "Two of my employees - you remember the Lee siblings, right? They find themselves too busy this year to come to work with their music and all, so I let them go."

Yep, I had it coming.

"Mrs. Chae," I began with a guilty smile, "you know I'd love to, but I already have my own job. Hanbin was lucky today that Kiki's Pizza is still going under renovations."

She looked at me with an expression that pierced my heart. I really didn't want to say no to her dejected eyes, and I was this close to reconsidering.

"Ah, I understand," she said, nodding. "Well, if you ever change your mind, please don't hesitate to come. If Hanbin's still sick these upcoming days, and Chanhyuk and Soohyun can't come back, then that's three less employees. It'll be a struggle, for sure."

I gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry, Mrs. Chae. If you would like, I could mention your help wanted to people I know?"

She smiled. "That would be lovely."

We said our goodbyes, and almost forgot to say bye to Junhoe. I had a brief second of debate before making up my mind to exit through the front of the house. I walked through the door frame and saw Junhoe making a drink.

"Bye, Junhoe, I'm heading out," I told him.

He glanced at me. He popped the lid onto the cup, then gave me a salute.

Didn't even say a word.

...

I went straight to Hanbin and Yunhyeong's dorm after finishing up the errands, knocking on the door a few times. My fingers started to cramp as I held four bags in my left hand, one of which with a bag of cough drops and cough medicine, since Yunhyeong texted him that they ran out.

Yunhyeong answered the door and looked relieved.

"Oh, finally," he said, letting me in.

I kicked off my shoes. "Hm? Something wrong?"

He took all the bags from me and set them on the coffee table. He dug through them and retrieved the medicine and cough drops.

"Hanbin's sick. He has some terrible coughing going on and it sounds like his lungs are literally dying," Yunhyeong explained, and my mouth gaped.

Did my words somehow alter reality and made Hanbin actually sick? That'd be kind of funny, but really frightening at the same time.

I followed him to Hanbin's room, and closed the door behind us. I anticipated how dreadful he would look. And my God, it was pretty damn dreadful.

"What happened to you? I was only gone for eight hours!" I said, sitting on the edge of his bed as Yunhyeong prepared the medicine. Hanbin coughed dryly into his pillow.

"I wish I knew. I only went out to go to my first two classes," Hanbin responded, covering his eyes with his arm.

"Were you properly dressed?" I asked.

"He claimed he couldn't find his jacket, but I found it underneath the couch," Yunhyeong answered for him. "Even though he has ten other ones he could've used."

I shook my head and clicked my tongue twice.

"You don' goofed."

"I was in a rush, okay?" he used as an excuse.

Yunhyeong gave Hanbin the tiny container with red fluid filled to the black line, and Hanbin downed it in one swallow. He flopped back down once he gave it back to Yunhyeong.

"Bobby," Hanbin said, "I know I've asked you so much already, but-"

"Don't worry, I'm going to start working there this weekend, most likely. I'll tell Mrs. Chae your situation."

Hanbin looked at me with wide eyes. I couldn't even believe my own words that just came out of my mouth. Oddly, I hadn't recalled me actually making that decision at all until that moment.

"Wait, what?" Hanbin asked. Even Yunhyeong was looking at me in confusion now.

Guess I had to come up with some kind of reason behind my statement.

"Well, chances are, Kiki's Pizza won't last anymore. They've gone under renovations three times these past two months, so I wouldn't consider working there stable anyway," I reasoned. "That, and Mrs. Chae may or may not have asked me to work at Young Gimmicks before I left."

Hanbin laughed, which then immediately transitioned into a coughing fit. "Well as long as it's your decision. I don't want you to pity me or anything."

I definitely pitied him. "No, it's fine."

Yunhyeong stretched his arms. "Well, better rest up, Hanbin. You've got music theory in an hour."

"Ughhh," he groaned. "But I don't wanna move."

"Would you rather miss a day of class in college?" I countered.

He sighed. "Good point."


	4. Third Day On the Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "At first, it was for educational purposes, but I found myself extremely immersed. He did every step with rhythm; concise and purposeful movements."

Kiki's Pizza did end up closing down, to nobody's surprise. It really was about time, considering all of the warnings from health inspectors and how old that place was anyway. Whether or not this occurrence was of convenience or inconvenience was beyond me.

It was Sunday morning, and I made sure to dress a little less like I just got out of bed and more like a presentable barista. I decided a denim jacket and black skinny jeans instead of my typical baggy hoodie would suffice. I let out a deep breath and left my dorm to enter a day of work.

I arrived at lyricism class and took my usual seat. Jinhwan, as always, came strolling in, this time with a latte in hand, and sat next to me. He looked up from his phone to look at me. He kept looking at me for quite some time.

"You actually look nice today," Jinhwan commented, sipping his drink afterward.

"Thanks, Jinhwan, glad you noticed," I replied.

"What's the occasion? Finally got a date?" he said, nudging me.

"Someone needs to collect you."

"You didn't deny it."

"No, Jinhwan, I'm not going on a date," I firmly stated, although I did chuckle.

"Then what?" he questioned.

I sighed. "I'm starting my first - well, technically third - day at Young Gimmicks."

As he dug through his backpack, his eyebrows raised.

"Wow, Bobby committing to two jobs? Doing extra work? That's new," he said, smirking.

"First of all, ouch," I replied. "Second of all, I won't be working two jobs. Kiki's shut down."

"Dang, and for a second there, I was actually impressed with you," Jinhwan sneered.

I pushed him off of his chair. Unintentionally, of course. It didn't really matter though, because Jinhwan just started laughing. I was only glad the professor wasn't there, but we definitely got a lot of stares from students. Nothing unusual.

"Jinhwan, shut up."

"In your dreams."

...

Minho and I sat at a table for two, us on our break as Lisa and Junhoe continued working. I bit into my panini, munching quietly as Minho scrolled through his phone. I occupied my eyes by watching customers come in and out, ordering their items and receiving them. My attention then drifted to Junhoe. It always seemed to do that, lately. Ever since I met him.

His black hair was still a little long. Another month, and it most definitely would cover his eyes completely. His teenage millennial style showed evidently through his black and white clothing, with a pale jacket with several pockets and zippers. He questionably had better style than me. I would've loved to ask him where he got his clothes from if I could. But I couldn't.

Junhoe took a clear plastic cup, venti size, and I observed his actions. At first, it was for educational purposes, but I found myself extremely immersed. He did every step with rhythm; concise and purposeful movements. The way he hit the bottom of the cup on the counter three times to compress the substance and leave room for more, the way he tossed the syrup bottle 360 and caught it before using each time, the way he whistled a specific type of tune depending on what he was making. Although some of these had no real contribution to the product, they still held intention. He reminded me of Mrs. Chae, oddly enough, despite how different those two were.

I suppose I had been staring at him for too long, because I didn't even notice Minho leave and Lisa approach me.

"Earth to Bobby?" 

I jutted my head towards her, who was setting her drink down onto the table and sliding in the chair in front of me. 

"Oh, hey," I said sheepishly.

"What were you staring at?" she asked.

I blinked. Would it have been weird if I were honest? Tell her that I was staring at Junhoe for about five minutes straight because I just "wanted to?"

"Just observing how you guys work," I told her. "Still kind of new to the cafe scene."

"Ah, I see. If you needed help with anything, you could've just asked," she said with a giggle. "Anyway, I'm pretty certain your fifteen minutes is up."

I checked the time on my watch. Indeed I had gone three minutes over my lunch break.

"Oh, you're right," I said, and thanked her.

I scarfed down the last of my sandwich as I walked to the back of the house. I clocked back in into the computer, since rules were rules even if I went over the limit of break time, and joined Minho and Junhoe.

"Bobby, register please," Minho said, and I sped to take over.

I was one of the only people who actually liked doing register. I could smile for days on end. Lisa and Minho didn't mind either, but it was clear that Junhoe chose to avoid register at all times.

I liked to think of him as a passive lion, as absolutely stupid as it sounded.

He wasn't hostile, but his constant solemn expression made you believe he could strike at any moment. But he won't. Because he was a passive lion.

He was calm yet puts off a strong vibe. And his voice- his voice- might as well had been a lion's purr.

But he was a passive lion. He did what he needed to do. And that was it.

He takes responsibility, like during closing time.

Wednesdays and Thursdays are when Hanbin usually stays till closing, but since Mrs. Chae needed me to fill in for more shifts, I also took up Monday evening shifts.

To my surprise, Junhoe apparently works all weekday evening shifts. He would close the cash register, count up the money, and have everything in place for Mrs. Chae's satisfaction. Mrs. Chae and Junhoe are always the last ones to leave. I was even more impressed with Junhoe now, because not only was he a very skilled worker, but he could practically be my manager.

And that only made me more curious than ever.


	5. "Feeling Happiness" Wasn't In the Application Requirements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Somehow, I managed to compare this man to anything but a human being, because to me, he was just too strange for that. Strange not because of an eccentric personality. Strange because it was hard to decipher his personality."

It was my second week working at Young Gimmicks, and I almost felt like quitting.

Cafés were never really my scene. Cafés are tranquil and comforting. I was probably neither of those.

I'm a loud person. I can't help it. At least at Kiki's Pizza, parties of eight year olds gave me an excuse to be outgoing. A café, though, shows me numerous stressed out college students that influence me to do my homework when I get back to the dorm.

It wasn't very fun, long story short.

Until now.

Junhoe entered the front of the house, carrying several boxes of new cups and lids that stacked up to his nose. His eyes peeked above them, but although he could see, he still managed to trip on something and let the boxes go flying out of his hands. I stared at him and his frozen state. Not once had I ever witnessed Junhoe so flustered, so this was the first. And it felt like something I needed to cherish.

He stood there, hands on his hips. After what seemed like a few seconds that passed, he tilted his head up with the most pissed off expression. It was like watching a bear contemplate life decisions after dropping his cubs' supply of fish. Utterly disappointed in himself.

Somehow, I managed to compare this man to anything but a human being, because to me, he was just too strange for that. Strange not because of an eccentric personality. Strange because it was hard to decipher his personality.

"Why are you doing that?"

I froze.

"What?" I said, puzzled. My mind raced with possibilities of me doing or saying something I was unaware of that offended him. Maybe he really wasn't human. Like, I tapped my foot two times and my left once which meant "shut yo ass up" in an alien tongue he studied. Worse yet, it was in his alien language.

"You were smiling."

I almost choked on air. "Pardon?"

He kept his scary nonchalant expression. I was sure he was making it on purpose, but for some reason, I wanted to be rebellious. So I kept smiling. I mean, sure, I had been giggling at the situation, but was that really what bothered him? Did he perhaps not realize I had been standing there the whole time?

"Why were you smiling?"

I was lost for words. So lost for words, that I just laughed again.

"You're still laughing! What's so funny?" he persisted.

His confused look was evidently plastered on his face, which was absolutely too hilarious to me. He looked like me in math class: completely clueless. It only made everything funnier.

"Junhoe," I said carefully, "just because there's no joke doesn't mean something can't be funny."

Junhoe scoffed. "Okay, I'm not stupid, Bobby."

"Mm," I hummed.

Junhoe looked like he was going to say something. He had a brief distant look towards the floor, before shaking his head and leaning down to pick up the boxes. With pity, and knowing fully well I had probably annoyed him to the brim, I shuffled over to him. He seemed caught off guard as he glanced at me for a second once I began to help him clean up, but kept his composure.

This guy needed more than just laughs to break down his walls, apparently.

Has he never learned happiness? Oh god, that would be terrible. It would be the saddest story on Earth, aside from Wall-E, but oddly enough, it made sense. A lot of sense.

"You saw me drop the boxes, didn't you?" Junhoe asked.

I stifled another laugh. "Yeah, I did."

He sighed.

I looked at him. "We all make mistakes, June."

"Please don't call me that."

We stood together, me particularly at a loss for words and him being evidently tense.

"Isn't that what Hanbin calls you?" I questioned.

"Yeah, but one person with nicknames is enough," he said.

I jutted out my bottom lip, confused at the reasoning. He didn't spare me another glance, so I left him be.

...

I tiptoed into Hanbin's dorm with Pho in one hand and ice cream in the other. I figured I had some talking to do with him about a certain someone over a good meal.

After shutting the door, I poked my head into Hanbin's room, where he laid on his bed. He looked up from his phone with tired eyes, indicating he had just awoken from a nap.

"Hey, Bin," I said, stepping in fully. "Brought yah food."

He smiled. "Oh thank god."

I sat at the edge of his bed, taking out two sealed containers of soup as he sat up and against his pillows. Carefully, I opened one and gave it to Hanbin.

"You are my favorite Bobby in this whole world."

"And how many Bobby's do you know?"

"Classified information."

We laughed together, and I took out the chopsticks.

We ate over some small talk, and eventually, I decided to address what I wanted to discuss.

"So, that Junhoe guy," I began.

Hanbin wiped his mouth with his hand after sipping the soup from the bowl. "Hm? What about him?"

I almost forgot what to even say. I didn't quite know where to start, really.

"Is he always so...moody? Or, you know, serious?"

Hanbin nodded immediately, as if expecting the inquiries. He stuffed more noodles in his mouth, then coughed heavily after swallowing them. I gave him a moment to drink some water.

"Mm," he confirmed, "pretty much. I mean, I've seen him smile a couple times before. But only a couple times."

"Is there any particular reason why? It's really unsettling whenever I try to talk to him," I admit.

"Well, from what Mrs. Chae has told me," Hanbin spoke slowly, setting down his bowl on his lap, "she's actually his caretaker."

That was certainly surprising. It became reasonable in just a few seconds, though. I noticed their close relationship right from the get-go, and how Junhoe always stays behind to close the shop with Mrs. Chae, even though Hanbin had been working there longer. But I never would've even guessed he wasn't in college, let alone not living alone.

"So, like, he doesn't live with parents?" I asked.

Hanbin shrugged. "That would be my assumption."

He didn't live with parents. That could have so many possibilities behind it. Some of which were too depressing to even think of.

"How old is he?"

"I think, maybe, 17? I know he's still in high school, can't be that young though."

17 years old. He was only three years younger than me, yet still looked just as stressed as a typical college student. He was probably living a harder life than me, and I never would've known.


	6. Slowly But Surely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It was difficult to believe, yet I couldn't help but to feel honored. And now with this honor, it was like I just had to keep going. I couldn't give up on Junhoe like they did."

The more I worked at Young Gimmicks, the more I started to notice things about Junhoe.

The fact that he seemed to wear different clothes but the same black converse every day. How he not once hadn't been listening to music on his break. How he had three piercings: two on his right ear, and one on his left.

And now that I know he's only in high school, it made sense to me why he never worked morning or afternoon shifts at the café on weekdays, but basically all day on weekends.

There were small things about him that my eye caught. I'd never do such heavy observing to anyone else, but he was just so intriguing. He was like a painting. He never talked, but you know he's full of something more than just what he looks like. He had more to him than just his nice jawline and perfectly shaped face (things I envied, needles to mention).

As I sat alone on my break Monday afternoon, I decided it was about time I made some kind of move.

The shop was empty, so I casually hopped onto the counter besides the register, where Junhoe stood behind on his phone. He flinched.

"How are you, Junhoe?" I asked.

"Fine," he said.

I was expecting a little more, perhaps a, "How about you" or something. But I brushed that off.

I let a second of silence get between us. "How long have you been working here for?"

"Ah, about six months now," he replied.

"Wow, six months? Does working here ever get old?"

I noticed his fingers tapped restlessly on the register, but his tone of voice didn't suggest irritation. He looked around the shop constantly, not once laying his eyes on me entirely.

"Not really. It's fun, sometimes," he said, shrugging.

"Doesn't really look like your having fun, though."

I laughed a bit, and glanced at him in hope of a contagious effect.

But all he did was do that thing again. The thing he did on the first day we met. He smiled very briefly, for maybe a millisecond, before making it disappear.

"Well," Junhoe said quietly, sighing, "I don't know."

I really wanted to smack him for that answer. Like, really badly.

"So I heard you're only 17?" I said, switching the topic.

"Yeah, I am."

"You don't look like you're in high school," I said. "I mistook you for my age when I first saw you."

"I get that a lot."

Short-lived answers lead to short-lived awkward conversations, and that was unacceptable in this situation.

It was time for Plan B.

"What if," I began, "you could turn into any animal you wanted? What animal would you turn into first?"

Junhoe looked straight at me for the first time. Even though I was mostly facing forward, I could sense his confusion from next to me.

"What?"

"If you could turn into an animal, what animal would it be?"

He looked away. "Um, I don't know."

I laid my back down entirely on the counter, my head nearly touching the cash register.

"I would be a rat, to live my true potential of having rat teeth," I told him.

I saw him blink. "What do you mean?"

I sat up and swerved my body to face him. "You know, whenever I smile, my teeth stick out? So they look like rat teeth?"

He shook his head slightly. There was no way he never realized this. It's usually the first thing people notice.

"You've seen me smile before, right? It's all I ever do, really."

Junhoe shrugged. "Well, yeah, but I don't see them as rat teeth."

For some reason, although "rat teeth" isn't my favorite label, I wanted to prove to him why it was a label in the first place. It was completely unbelievable that he has never thought of it. So I pulled out my phone, and typed rapidly in the search engine. In just a few seconds, I showed my phone screen and held it right besides my face.

I smiled widely with the rat in my hand.

I carefully watched Junhoe.

I so badly wanted my expectations to come true.

But then it happened.

Ironically, I almost stopped smiling immediately.

Not because of disappointment. Not because of defeat.

But of shock.

Standing in front of me, Junhoe smirked. He smirked, followed by a smile.

Full teeth smile.

"You look so stupid," Junhoe said.

I felt like squealing.

"Hey, boys!"

Both of our mouths went slack, and we turned to the door. Lisa and Jennie strolled in, and they took off their sunglasses.

"Slacking off on the job, huh?" Lisa snickered.

I sheepishly chuckled, turning to look at Junhoe, but he already occupied himself with wiping down the sink. I frowned. Jennie and Lisa seemed to realize the tension that built itself in the matter of five seconds.

"Oh! Bobby, that reminds me," Jennie said, "Hanbin left his headphones in World History a couple days ago, and of course I left them in my other jacket."

"Oh, alright," I replied.

She and Lisa both started walking to the back, so I took it as a signal to follow. As I passed by Junhoe, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to feel dejected or content. He was smiling one second, then ignoring all living organisms the next.

But it showed I was doing something right. I gave him chance, and in return, he gave me one too.

We all were in the back at this point, but the girls kept walking all the to the other side of room, past the clothing hooks. Actually, the clothing hooks were empty altogether.

We reached the wall, and they turned.

"Okay, spill the beans," Lisa said.

My mouth hung open. Had I committed a crime that I was unaware of in the last hour?

"Huh?"

"Tell us what happened!" Jennie persisted.

"That doesn't help at all with what exactly you're asking about, you know," I said.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "We knew Junhoe before he worked here. We used to go to his high school, and we haven't seen him smile in years."

I suddenly understood what they were getting at. They must've seen us through the window.

"Years?" I said. "Surely that's an exaggeration."

"Okay, okay, whatever," Lisa dismissed. "You get the point."

"You have some magic powers, Bobby. We gave up trying to find joy in him," Jennie added.

I felt so many emotions at once. Was it really possible that I was the first to make him properly smile in years? It was difficult to believe, yet I couldn't help but to feel honored. And now with this honor, it was like I just had to keep going. I couldn't give up on Junhoe like they did.

"Well," I said, shrugging, "maybe I do?"

"'Maybe' my ass," Lisa said, and we all laughed.

Who knows, maybe I was a wizard. A wizard with the powers of making people with the name of Koo Junhoe smile. 

Seemed pretty legit to me.


	7. Jinhwan, Apparently The Homosexual Expert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "All of a sudden, I felt a weird sense of deja vu. Watching Jinhwan laugh right in front of my face, it was like history was repeating itself, but instead of Junhoe being oblivious to something funny, it was me. Me.
> 
> It kind of made me mad."

Partner projects were always my favorite in lyricism class. Jinhwan and I never failed to complete the assignment with quality, and our records have been featured several times in our university's monthly arts festival.

So this time around, we partnered up once again of course. I decided to have Jinhwan over this time, since I always went to his dorm and today I was just too lazy.

It was Monday morning, and Hanbin was thankfully feeling better. I blessed every god out there that I could finally work with someone I actually talked to on a regular basis, but at the same time have him join me on my "Operation Make Junhoe Happy" task. I needed as much help as possible, really, because I knew this wasn't going to be easy.

Hanbin was rummaging around the living room of my dorm, apparently searching for his favorite black hat. I wasn't sure how it was even possible to have a favorite black hat, if it was just one plain black hat out of the several plain black hats he had, but I didn't question it.

"Why would it be in my dorm, exactly?" I asked, mouth full of toothbrush and toothpaste.

"Because," he said, getting in a pushup position to look under the couch, "you like to wear my clothes sometimes. And you never give them back."

"Fair enough."

Suddenly, a knock on the door resonated throughout the room. I made my way to the door, with Hanbin clearly occupied with something much more important than teeth hygiene, and opened it.

"Hey, Jinhwan," I said.

"I'm going to pretend I understood what you just said," Jinhwan responded with a smile. It was the kind of smile that was out of sheer politeness. Nothing new for Jinhwan.

I let him in, and closed the door.

"Why are you just now brushing yo-"

"I FOUND IT!" Hanbin announced, cutting him off.

Jinhwan curiously looked over at Hanbin and his rejoicing manner, but then softened his features.

"Oh, that black hat," I recalled. "Yeah, I totally was hoping you wouldn't find that."

Hanbin put it on backwards, completely disregarding my comment. "Right where you belong."

He looked to my right, and flipped his joy into confusion, as if just noticing Jinhwan standing right there.

"Oh yeah," I said, taking out my toothbrush momentarily, "Hanbin, this is Jinhwan. Jinhwan, this is Hanbin."

Jinhwan smiled, and Hanbin awkwardly returned the gesture with a small wave.

"I hear that you rap to yourself while you're working and do your own adlibs," Jinhwan said.

Hanbin gave me a stink eye. "Can you not tell the whole world about that?"

I laughed. "I never say you're bad at it. Besides, Junhoe started it, not me."

Jinhwan tilted his head at me. "Junhoe?"

I waved that off. "Another story."

Hanbin tipped back and forth on his feet as we spoke.

"Well, I better get going," Hanbin said, seemingly hesitating to do so as he stood in front of us. "It was nice meeting you Jinhwan."

Jinhwan's smile turned fond. "Likewise."

Hanbin made his leave, and neither let go of their happy expressions until the door shut.

Jinhwan turned to me.

"Why didn't you ever tell me you had such a cute friend?"

I stuffed my toothbrush back into my mouth with an amused eye roll and a loud laugh.

"If I'd known you'd be so head over heels for Hanbin, I would've introduced you to him sooner."

"If I'd known you had an attractive male friend, I would've been head over heels sooner!" he retaliated, throwing his hands in the air.

He followed me to the bathroom, where I finished brushing my teeth and gargled.

"He has a really nice smile. It works strangely well with his wide face. He has such a cute way of speaking too. Does he have abs?"

As Jinhwan went on, I began to slow my movements. I really thought he was just being dramatic. I wiped my mouth with my towel, dumbfounded by a realization.

"Wait," I said, "you're gay?"

There was a moment of silence. We stared at each other, and I began to panic, wondering either I had offended him, or time had stopped. But he snickered.

"Are you seriously that stupid?"

"No?"

"Bobby, I'm as straight as cursive writing."

I blinked. "Seriously?"

"Yes! Yes seriously!"

Jinhwan rolled his eyes and dragged me out of the bathroom as I began laughing. Not at him, necessarily. It was mostly just out of his annoyance. I wasn't quite surprised with what he told me, because really I was more surprised that I hadn't noticed.

He settled on the couch, and took out his laptop from his messenger's bag as I retrieved snacks from the kitchen.

I opened the cupboard to grab a clear glass bowl and a bag of Doritos from the other cabinet. The classic snack.

"So," he said, "how about you?

"What about me?"

"What are you? A line, a circle? Semicircle, perhaps?"

Of course, I was a bit slow to understand, but putting the pieces together, I had to stop pouring the chips.

I'd never thought about it before. I knew I was straight, so I didn't know why I even hesitated. It was like my brain made itself have a hiccup. But I shook my head.

"Line, good sir," I replied, resuming my task.

"Bullshit," Jinhwan said.

I nearly choked on air. I bursted into a mini laugh attack at the simple word.

"What?" I said.

I came back with the bowl, and sat next to him.

"Bullshit, I said," he repeated.

"Yeah, I know, but why?"

"Because. I just know."

"Right."

"Okay, you don't believe me?" Jinhwan challenged, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, no, I really don't," I said.

Jinhwan set his laptop down on the coffee table, and leaned back on the opposite armrest from mine. He had a scary smug smile on his face that I became suspicious of. I knew what he was going to say next wouldn't be good.

"Tell me a bit about Hanbin, then, if you don't mind," Jinhwan requested, and I rolled my eyes.

"Sure, fine," I obliged, to his delight. "He's a sick rapper and lyricist. He's very leader-like and caring. Has a bit of a strange side too, though. One time, I went to his dorm and found him dancing to Latin music on full blast as he was vacuuming the rug."

Jinhwan chuckled. "Quite the character."

"Indeed he is."

"Actually, I don't really know your friends that well. Have I ever met any of them before?"

I frowned. "You're right, I don't you have."

"Mind telling me about them?"

I shrugged. "Well there's Yunhyeong, who's kind of like mom of the group? Sort of? He's the one that really takes care of us when we're in trouble. He's also a lit cook, too."

"You could learn a thing or two from him," Jinhwan commented.

"Shut up," I said. "Chanwoo is really friendly and forgiving. We make fun of him for looking like bread with his face shape but he grants us mercy every time. Then there's Donghyuk who is just so energetic but can never top me in a singing competition, strictly because I am a ball of fire."

"Perhaps the second sun, one can say."

"Perhaps a star?"

"Perhaps," Jinhwan said, and we laughed.

"What about Junhoe?" Jinhwan asked.

"Junhoe?" I responded.

"Yeah, you said his name earlier."

I blinked. He certainly wasn't wrong. I wasn't sure if friend was an appropriate label, but I didn't see any harm in explaining the strange guy.

"He's just some guy I work with at Young Gimmicks," I said. "He's kinda weird."

"What a pleasant adjective."

"Okay, okay, he's not weird, necessarily-"

"Can't be weirder than you."

"Very true," I agreed. "He's just really quiet and has limited emotions."

"Sounds intriguing. Tell me more," Jinhwan urged, scooting closer.

"He never smiles. Even when something is funny! It's like he doesn't want to laugh," I went on. "But when he does smile, it's like the best thing in the world. Do you know how accomplished and amazing I felt when I made him smile? Holy crap, it was like I won the lottery."

Jinhwan nodded throughout my tangent. "What does he look like?"

I could envision Junhoe's appearance perfectly in my head. I've thought about him so many times, I could draw him detail by detail. That is, if I was actually good at drawing.

"He has short black hair, although his bangs nearly cover his eyes. He has a bit of a rectangle-shaped face and a clean jawline. He has really nice lips, too-"

I was cut off by Jinhwan's laughter.

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"What? What's so funny?"

All of a sudden, I felt a weird sense of deja vu. It was like history was repeating itself, but instead of Junhoe being oblivious to something funny, it was me. Me.

It kind of made me mad.

Jinhwan seemed to notice, because he stopped laughing but kept his grin.

"Bobby," Jinhwan said, "you're not a line."

I sat up straight. "What?"

Jinhwan scooted closer and put both of his hands on my shoulders, gripping them tight.

"You. Ain't. Straight."

"How would you know? Why am I even questioning if you know? You're not even me!" I protested, fuming.

"Because I know these things. Gays spot gays like a hawk."

"That's a lie."

He let go of my shoulders and rested his hand on his chest.

"As a gay, I feel quite offended."

I scoffed.

"Look," Jinhwan said, serious this time, "at least consider it. That little rant about Junhoe and casually commenting on his lips? Yeah, no, that's not something a straight male would typically state out of the blue unless it was a joke."

He did have point. I could've played it off as a joke, but I didn't. And the fact that he had a point made me even angrier and confused. I was an angry and confused ball of fire, and I wasn't even singing karaoke. Or drunk. Although, both things sounded pretty good right about then.


	8. Operation: Get Junhoe to Stop Being So Antisocial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I blinked.
> 
> Either my memory was absolutely shit, or my dream made up a completely different dialogue. I was sure it was the latter."

That night was stranger than the day, if that was even possible.

After we finished the amount of the instrumentals we planned to do, I unconsciously was practically pushing Jinhwan out of my dorm. No, I didn't hate him. He just kept laughing the whole minute it took me to make him leave, striking a couple nerves.

I really wasn't all  _that_ rattled up. I was still sane. I think.

In no way was I necessarily sure of anything in my life. Not even my sexuality, in Jinhwan's defense, and I was old enough to be aware of such things. Many thought I was pretty content with my life, probably because of my eccentric and outgoing personality. It was an understandable misunderstanding, ironically enough.

Sure, I liked to party. I liked to drink. I liked going out without restraint. But it all led back to who I really was in the end. All this freedom was a privilege. It was something I never had growing up, and not many knew that about me. 

This cruel reminder of my childhood suddenly came back to me after many years in the form of a dream.

I didn't know how or why, but my brain simply decided, "Hey, you wanna suffer even more today?" Didn't even ask for my consent. How rude of it.

And so I drifted off into the dream world, waking up in a place that was achingly familiar. The mundane white walls and modern sleek furniture were things I never thought I'd ever see again. The paintings in shiny frames, the mahogany round table that stood in front of me, the gray tile beneath my feet - all of which initiated a single emotion: homesickness.

I wanted to feel anger, resentment, depression, but I figured that after a couple years of being away, my feelings matured into a longing to come back home. Perhaps that night was my breaking point. I needed to be reminded of my origin before carrying on with my life, which was at an interesting turning point. Funny how even in a dream, I still thought of Junhoe.

Behind me, a door opened, and I already knew it was the garage door. Turning around, my mother's shoes clicked on the floor obnoxiously as she carried an expensive looking purse that probably couldn't fit more than bills and a chapstick. 

"Son?" she said, removing her sunglasses. Her coat was taken hastily by our maid. "You're home early."

I recognized these words. I apparently wasn't in control of this dream, as my response came out easily and were identical to the real words I said a few years back.

"Yeah, I am."

I only realized then how stupid that answer was. Couldn't think of anything more creative, Bobby?

"So have you made your decision?" she said, kicking off her heels and strutting to the sink.

I rubbed my neck. "Actually, that's why I came home early. I wanted to talk to you - or, I guess, tell you...about that."

I was so grateful my social skills improved after I left.

She raised an eyebrow in quite an exaggerated manner, and washed her hands. 

"Oh?"

By that tone, I could tell she was trying to intimidate me. She was trying to sway me into making a decision she wanted, but I gulped and stood my ground.

"Yeah, I th-think...I think I want to go to college."

She shut off the faucet and ruthlessly ripped off a towel, although it was still a seamless rectangle. My mother was so perfect it made me cringe. If that even makes sense.

"Really," she said. The forced interest was even more cringeworthy. As if this was a test, and I just got the answer wrong. 

"Yes, really," I said. "I don't think I'd be good enough for taking over the business. It just...doesn't feel right. I really think college is for me, honestly."

She took her time walking towards me, the situation moving in slow motion. Her steps were delicate. Her expression was unreadable. I was not enjoying this deja vu.

Her eyes met mine once she was standing in front of me. They had something in them that I hadn't seen before. Or, at least, in a long time.

"That's great, sweetie. I'm glad you know what you want."

I blinked.

Either my memory was absolutely  _shit,_  or my dream made up a completely different dialogue. I was sure it was the latter. 

I dug through my brain, but I could've sworn my mother said something much more nastier than a little, "you're doing great sweetie." I was  _sure_ of it. 

My dream was, of course, still in control, so my mouth opened on its own.

"Thanks, mom."

I was  _smiling_ for crying out loud. I never smiled even a minute during our entire conversation that day, and I definitely can remember that detail.

The dream ended with a hug. My mother  _never_ hugs. 

.  
.  
.

I woke up confused and flustered. I refused to let the dream out of my grasp, so I made sure to repeat it several times in my head - maybe over twenty.

My brain generated a vision completely against reality. Was I happy? Was I supposed to feel satisfied with my minds alternative outcome? I wasn't sure. 

Completely dumbfounded, I stretched and got out of bed to head to the bathroom. I splashed water onto my face, trying to relax, because I was seriously tense. 

I stared at myself in the mirror. 

Maybe it was a sign.

Maybe my sudden lucky dream was a symbol. Telling me that life wasn't all that bad. Although, that message seemed kind of wasteful, because I wasn't in a particularly stressed state of mind, nor did I think that life was terrible.

Shaking my head, I put the dream aside. Maybe I was overthinking things. Maybe.

.  
.  
.

I walked into work with sleeked back hair and a bright smile. Mostly because I saw Junhoe standing behind the counter, who actually waved to me. Can you believe it?

He waved. To  _me. He physically initiated the interaction._

Starting off work strong.

It was just us two that morning, which was such a blessing. For the first time that month, I was more than excited to work with Junhoe alone. Today was the day I would finally make some moves, get Junhoe to talk, make him smile. How I was going to do that? The plan was a work in progress.

It was already busy once I walked in, so I got straight to work. 

Step 1 of "Get Junhoe to Stop Being So Antisocial": tell him the order so he's forced to reply.

A girl with long black hair and cute wide face was the first to order once Bobby took over the register hastily. She smiled.

"Hi! Can I get an iced americano?" she ordered.

"Sure, what size?"

"Small."

I nodded, returning the smile as always, and wrote it down on the appropriate plastic cup. I made sure to repeat it to Junhoe.

He looked at me oddly for a brief second. It wasn't necessarily protocol, and it was definitely the first time I'd ever done it. But he just nodded, to my dismay. I wasn't going to give up just yet, though.

The next customer was brown haired and tan. His eyes were thin, making him look tired. He held a mundane look and seemed pretty cold, but he ordered two drinks.

"Two medium iced lattes please, one with whipped cream, if you could."

I wrote down the note on the cup, and put it into the system. Once again, I repeated the order. Specifics and all. I could tell Junhoe was a bit annoyed, but mustered a "got it" and my heart skipped a beat. It was a mini success.

Several orders later, Junhoe was ever so slightly increasing the volume of his voice. It was still barely audible, but it was progress.

A short student with pink hair and high cheekbones approached the register, seemingly already prepared to order right away. I didn't even say hello yet.

"Medium black coffee-"

"Ew, I don't like black," the hooded boy said behind him, whom I didn't even notice.

The pink-haired boy rolled his eyes. "It's not for you, babe."

Babe. They were dating. Assumably. Most likely. Why I cared? I didn't know.

"Yeah, I know," the other snickered.

"Hmph. Anyway, a black coffee, and a medium caramel macchiato, please."

He already had his card ready, but the only thing I was focusing on was their intertwined hands. They were pretty cute, if I was being honest.

I repeated the order, and to my surprise, his answer was quite clear.

"You got it."

It was a whole three words with crisp pronunciation in front of a flood of customers. It was impressive, needless to say.

The couple paid, and said their thank yous, never letting go of each other's hands. I wondered if that would be me and someone else one day. I may have imagined that someone else as Junhoe, but that's an unimportant and silly detail. Moving on.

Step 2: Initiate conversation  _whenever possible._

It may backfire, it may not. Never know till you try.

Finally, rush hour calmed down after awhile. I just finished wiping down a table, and flipped the rag onto my shoulder. 

"God, my feet are killing me," I complained, and Junhoe replied with a small, "same."

"You work like a madman, Junhoe, don't you ever get tired?"

"Most days, I feel dead inside. So yes," he responded. It was pretty lengthy for Junhoe.

"I envy your tolerance, then."

Skip to a couple hours later, around 1pm. Another wave of people came in, exhausting my every muscle (mostly my voice and face - smiling was a difficult task as a cashier). After that rush, I leaned against the counter.

"Ugh," I began, "don't you hate it when some kid dumps coins on the counter and expects you to happily count each dime? Where are their parents?"

Junhoe snorted. "Yeah, those kids are the worst. What are they doing in a cafe, anyway?"

"Exactly! Go get some go-gurt, or something."

Junhoe smirked again. Just a smirk. No laugh. 

Again, it was progress.

Step 3: take Junhoe back to his place.

Actually, that was not part of the agenda at all. It was casually inserted by Mrs. Chae through a phone call.

I picked up the phone as I was halfway through my sandwich.

"Hello, Mrs. Chae," I greeted.

"Hi! Bobby!" she said back, seemingly in a rush. "I have a huge favor to ask you."

I no longer was very fond of the word "favor." It seemed like I had been doing a lot of those lately. But it was Mrs. Chae, how could I say no?

"Yeah, of course, what is it?"

"I need you to drive Junhoe home for me."

_What?_

"I got caught up in something - a business deal with a pop-up shop opportunity - and it seems like I won't be able to make it back on time," she explained. "You think you could bring him home? I know it's a lot to ask."

I didn't realize I had been holding my sandwich mid-air for so long until I felt the sauce drip down my pinky finger. I quickly set it down, stunned by the question. I didn't have any plans after work, truthfully. Whether for better or worse, I really had no idea.

"Uh, I think I'll be available to do that, yeah, no problem," I replied, unable to lie, but didn't want to come off as too excited. Because I wasn't.

I wasn't sure, actually.

I wasn't sure of many things anymore.

"Great! Oh, sweet Jesus, you're a lifesaver. I'll put that on your paycheck."

"No! No, it's okay, it's really nothing."

Although the extra money would be nice, it was too much of a gesture for me to accept.

"Alright, alright. I'll text you the address. Thank you again!" she said.

"No problem, Mrs. Chae," I responded through pursed lips.

Was it really "no problem"? Because to me, it seemed like the biggest problem of my life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHAHA I'm sorry for such a late update!  
> I had a chapter originally planned out to go one way, but made me realize that things were going way too fast without getting that much bond between Junhoe and Bobby. With this little issue, I decided to rewrite the chapter, but then writer's block decided to kindly punch me in the face.  
> So yeah.  
> Hope this chapter is not as bad as I think it is, LMAO  
> Thank you for your patience!


End file.
